Once Upon A Dream
by BadgebunnyUK
Summary: Just a continuation of the finale because I wanted more! I always want more of these two ladies.


Once Upon A Dream.

 _A/N- Just a little continuation of the finale. I have another chapter in mind but may just leave it as it is. Thanks for reading._

As the reunited couple strolled through the dark tunnel toward the golden lights of the carousel Delia felt immeasurably lighter even as she carried Patsy's belongings with her. She knew that after tonight there would be work to do, she would have to get Patsy to open up about her time away, her time with her father and what had happened to her afterwards. But for tonight…

The carousel slowed as they approached, Barbara and Trixie each spotted the pair in only a glimpse as they span around again. Barbara's mouth opened in a surprised circle as she ungraciously hopped off Tom and their steed and began walking in the opposite direction to that the carousel moved, as if on a treadmill and not getting much closer, a confused Tom on her heels. As the contraption finally almost halted the young newly wed recovered her wits in enough time to jump from the still moving platform almost landing in Patsy's arms.

"Patsy!" She yelled in jubilation. "You're home! Now everybody's here! This day couldn't be anymore perfect!."

Barbara threw her arms tightly around the tall red-head and crushed her in an embrace which caught Patsy a little off guard. She had never been the kind of person to invite such acts of demonstrative affection. Still, the absolute joy that radiated from Barbara at the moment could not fail to infiltrate even the hardest heart and Patsy wouldn't fool herself that she could ever have qualified for that title, certainly not now.

"Hello there Mrs Hereward! You look quite the fairy tale bride, I'm so happy I could see it." Patsy greeted her friend as she released her.

Tom appeared at his wifes side and Patsy leant to kiss his cheek, a hand to his shoulder.

"Congratulations Tom!" She offered.

"Thank you Patsy." He nodded, grinning like an excited child.

Trixie now strode into view. "Nurse Mount! Glad you could join us sweetie!"

Patsy moved forward to offer a half embrace to her glamorous friend. "Yes, fresh off the boat as they say, afraid I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion, I think I still have the faint aroma of cockles in my hair!" Patsy joked, her face scrunching in distaste.

Patsy noticed a blonde little girl who looked surprisingly exactly as Patsy imagined a young Trixie would have looked, a proper little lady tucked into Trixie's side. Her friend noticing the question in Patsy's glance took to introducing her.

"Patsy, I have the honour of presenting to you my darling new friend Alexandra." Trixie placed a steadying and almost possessive hand to each of the youngsters shoulders as Patsy bent her knees and came down to the girls height offering her hand.

"How do you do Alexandra. I'm Patsy and Trixie here is one of my best friends in the entire world, I've missed her terribly but I'm pleased to see you've been keeping her out of trouble. No small task!" Patsy grinned and gave the girl a small wink as she glanced up at Trixie.

Alexandra nodded and smiled sweetly as a dashing blonde gentlemen appeared at Trixie's elbow grinning proudly.

Patsy straightened. "The Dentist I presume."

Trixie shot a look at Delia her mouth opening in protest. "You have been kept well informed! She commented. "I shan't have the pleasure of bringing you up to speed on any of the gossip."

"I'm sure you'll find something to fill me in on." Patsy teased.

Next the Nuns of Nonnatus joined them and there followed a whole new round of hugs and handshakes. Delia was happy to stand on the periphery and watch as Patsy was welcomed back into the fold until the opportunity arose when she could steal her away again.

"Patsy! You must take a spin on the carousel." Barbara announced. "I insist and take Delia with you she hasn't been on yet."

"We'll just take Patsy's bag inside and then I promise." Delia replied as Patsy dragged herself away from Sister Monica Joan and followed her inside.

Patsy sighed shakily and Delia looked concerned.

"Not the quietest entrance I could have made I suppose." Patsy admitted. "Everyone is here."

Delia nodded. "It's a busy day. Things will quieten down. It must be a bit overwhelming."

Patsy nodded. "I only thought of seeing you again. I didn't even think of the others." She explained quietly.

"They're your family too Pats. We all missed you." Delia assured slipping her fingers around Patsy's as they made their way upstairs.

Patsy relieving her of the suit case about half way up as Delia thumped it on another step.

As they reached the top of the stairs Patsy reached out a hand for her bedroom door.

"Oh Pats! I'm sorry. Val's in your room now." Delia informed becoming a little flustered as she went on. "It was just for a little company until she got settled, she's used to being around family."

"Val?"

"Valerie Dyer, the new midwife, I'm sure I mentioned…"

"Of course." Patsy nodded once.

"If we'd have known you were coming…" Delia began. Patsy's eyes shot to Delia's now in a small plea and Delia broke off. "You can put your things in my room for now. We'll sort everything out later."

"It's fine Delia." Patsy assured and moved along the corridor to Delia's room.

"I'm exhausted Deels." Patsy announced as she shut the bedroom door, her back against it. "Do you think anyone would notice if we locked ourselves away in here for the rest of the night?"

"Hmmmm, so tempting but probably yes. If we pop back down for half an hour, let Phyllis know you're back, meet Val and the Turners new baby boy, we should be able to slip away then." Delia advised sensibly.

Patsy pulled a face then straightened and took a deep breath as she gathered herself. "Alright, then at least let me change into something a little smarter."

Patsy dragged her case onto the bed and flipped open the fastenings. The contents of the luggage had been hastily flung inside and most were crumpled and creased and for a moment Delia felt that perhaps Patsy had collected the wrong suitcase. Yet as she recognised each item of it's contents the realisation of how Patsy must have been feeling these last few weeks and the toll it must have taken on her was laid bare. Usually when Patsy had something on her mind the cleaning and organising went into overdrive, the red-head grasping at control in any form but this showed that her distress surpassed even that coping mechanism.

Patsy rummaged to the bottom of the case until she found a folded simple green dress and a pair of small heels. Delia had noticed too the scuffed dirty marks on Patsy's plimsolls, the crumpled shirt that Patsy now reached to unfasten and the young Welsh woman was suddenly swamped with compassion.

Delia stepped forward and pushed Patsy's hands away as she took up the tasks of unfastening her shirt.

"I can't believe you're really here." She whispered, reaching up to steal what was supposed to be a quick chaste kiss, until Patsy's arms wound around Delia's waist and she pulled her in closer, the kiss deepening.

When a moment later Delia breathlessly pulled away she placed a hand over Patsy's heart, dropping a kiss to the place she felt it beat the hardest and finally lay her head against it after pulling Patsy's shirt free of her shoulders and tossing it onto her bed. Patsy's skin was warm but Delia felt her shiver.

Patsy placed a hand to Delia's hair, careful not to disturb the neat arrangement but desperate to touch. "We'll never get back if we start this." She warned even as she bent lower and brought Delia up to her, seeking Delia's throat with her lips and pushing herself and Delia both back onto the bed.

"I've missed you." Delia moaned and she meant that she missed this, the physicalness of Patsy of the two of them together. They had written, she had been on her mind constantly, she'd even spoken of her with friends, with Phyllis, but this, she hadn't even been able to properly kiss Patsy goodbye the day she had left and that had haunted her every day that she'd been gone. What if that had been her last chance?

Delia undid Patsy's jeans and helpfully pulled the material down over her thighs, the motion causing her to pull away from Patsy's kisses. As she tugged them over her feet Patsy caught her breath.

"Deels…"

"I know." Delia groaned as she reached for the dress and moved to place it over Patsy's head with a grumble. "I know."

"Later." Patsy promised looking rather flushed as she straightened herself and delivered a chaste kiss to Delia's cheek before taking her hand and dragging her from the room happily a new energy evident in addition to the new outfit.

Xxx

"Ah! The wanderer returns! Thank goodness for that. You had us worried for a moment Lass." Phyllis met Patsy with a handshake every bit as firm as the one she had given when they had parted ways.

"There was rather a lot to take care of in Hong Kong in the end." Patsy explained vaguely.

"Of course. I'm very sorry to hear of your loss Patsy. I'm sure that you're glad for the time you got to spend with your Father before he passed." Phyllis said gently.

Patsy nodded and her eyes fell to her feet for the briefest moment. "Thank you, yes. Pleased to return to such a happy occasion! And surprised, I thought the wedding was a little way off yet?" Patsy deftly changed the subject.

"Ah yes." Phyllis went on to explain about Barbara's own Father's imminent departure for pastures new.

Patsy met Baby Turner and even managed to prise him from his proud parents arms for a quick cuddle while Sheilagh recounted the story of his delivery one more time.

Delia then guided her love in the direction of the kitchen to make them tea and find cake where they came across Valerie trying desperately to distract Sister Monica Joan from helping herself to yet another slice of wedding cake.

"Valerie, This is Patsy, Nurse Mount, she's just returned from Hong Kong!" Delia introduced politely.

Valerie looked surprised as she took in the red-head beside Delia and Sister Monica Joan quickly sidestepped her and made her way out of the kitchen without even looking up at the nurses.

"Oh! What a pleasure to meet you Patsy! I've heard so much about you from Delia and the others!" Valerie stuck out a hand to shake before quickly pulling it back and looking at a smudge of cream and sponge that had smeared along her index finger, she brushed her hands together and smiled a little apologetically as Delia's giggles caught her attention and Valerie stuck the tip of her tongue out discreetly narrowing her eyes playfully at Delia.

"You seem to be settling in well?" Patsy asked a little bruskly bringing both women's attention back to her.

"Oh yes. It feels like I've been here forever. Everyone's been so welcoming." Valerie admitted smiling sweetly again at Delia.

"Well it was nice to meet you." Patsy cut the conversation short as she moved to collect plates.

Delia hurried to the stove. "Do you want tea Val?"

"No thanks. I'll leave you to it." Valerie called as she hurried out in search of Sister Monica Joan.

The pair slipped out to the back garden with their hot drinks and sat side by side on the small wooden bench they had shared so many times before. The snow had left only a light covering on the ground and had stopped falling now all together still the sky was heavy with white and Delia suspected it would snow again during the night.

"It's so cold." Delia shivered in her coat. "Perhaps we should go back inside."

"No." Patsy begged. "It's so busy in there, sit with me, just a moment."

Delia's reply was to take Patsy's empty hand and quickly place a kiss on the back of it before dropping it again. Patsy did not flinch or pull away and Delia wondered how long this sudden courage would last. The need for physical reassurance finally stronger than the need to protect their secret. Delia decided to enjoy it whilst it did but not to become reckless, the last thing they needed now was people finding out about them.

"I meant what I said." Patsy said suddenly, lost in her own thoughts. "I won't leave you again and I'm sorry I didn't send word."

"I want you to turn to me Patsy when things are hard, when you're hurt, you have before…"

"This was different, it was all wrapped up in the past, a past without you and I suppose it took me back there. But I'm here now and I want us to make a future." Patsy vowed. "I want us to move out of Nonnatus, get a flat. My Father left me money...not that we need it…"

"I don't know what to say.." Delia confessed. Since she'd returned to London after her accident Patsy had always avoided talk of their own home and Delia wasn't sure if the whole idea hadn't been marred by the tragedy surrounding their last attempt, she hadn't pushed, she had been grateful for what they had.

"I know you have your exams soon, but after that we can look for somewhere close by. I'm sick of the sneaking around, the constant interruptions and looking over my shoulder. It would be easy…" Patsy's fingers were clenched around a serviette she squeezed.

"I want that Pats, I do, all of that." Delia admitted, her hands gripping the bench and forcing herself to look away as she felt the threat of tears.

Patsy nodded over and over. "Good." She declared as she stood. "Let's get back into the warm."

XXX

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End file.
